You're Safe With Me
by Breezi
Summary: [Black Hawk Down] A two-part songfic on the girl that Hoot Gibson left behind. R&R.
1. Hoot

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the character of Hoot. He is the fictional combination of several real persons from an actual event, but the character belongs to the story/screenwriter of Black Hawk Down. This is not meant to offend anybody, and if it does, please accept my sincerest apologies. The female character in this, however, is mine. The lyrics are from the song "Pet" by Perfect Circle from the album "Thirteenth Step", though I did change the word "son" to "love" to better fit the needs of my story. Great album.

**Author's Note: **I live for feedback, please review. Also, (in a moment of shameless self-promotion) I have a few other fanfics going on right now, which I update as often as I can and I am going to resume the one that I have been neglecting, so please, check them out and let me know what you think.

**You're Safe With Me: **By Breezi

_Don't fret precious I'm here_

_step away from the window_

_go_

_back to sleep_

Norm "Hoot" Gibson woke up to see his beautiful Lucy sitting on the ledge of the open window. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she seemed to be staring off into nowhere. He sat up in bed and ran a hand through his short brown hair. How long had she been awake? How long had she just been sitting there? He stood up and walked over to her. She didn't seem to notice him until he touched her bare shoulders, then she jumped.

"Sorry." he said quietly; he hadn't meant to startle her.

She relaxed back into his touch and wrapped her tiny little hand around his fingers. Lucy. His Lucy. She was so perfect, so innocent, so untouched by all the horrors that the world had to offer.

_Lay your head down child_

_I won't let the boogeyman come_

_count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums_

He wanted to protect her from the world and he would do anything he could to do just that. She didn't know what he did when he went away for all those months. She didn't know the depths of his violence. But, she was always there waiting for him when he got back, still sweet, still pure, still perfect.

"What are you doing awake?" he asked.

"Thinking." she said with a shrug.

"What are ya thinking about?"

She turned and smiled her big bright smile up at him, "You."

"Oh, really?" Hoot said, twisting a strand of her light blonde hair around his fingers.

"Yeah."

"Why don't you come back to bed and tell me about it?"

_Pay no mind to the ravel pay no mind to the ravel_

_head down go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums_

Her smile almost faltered, but stayed on her face. Her eyes looked sad and that was unsettling to Hoot. He knelt down in front of her and touched her cheek.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked.

Lucy looked at him, "I love you."

Hoot smiled, "I love you, too."

_Pay no mind_

_what other voices say_

_they don't care about you_

_like I do_

Hoot cupped Lucy's face in his hands and kissed her mouth. "You know I love you, Luce. You know I love you more that anything in this world, right?"

"I know, Hoot, but..."

_Safe from pain_

_and truth_

_and choice_

_and other poison devils_

'But.' No. There should be no 'but.' Hoot didn't want her to leave him when she found out how violent his life really was. He would keep her from that. Lucy Hals was his connection to his own humanity and the only person he had ever loved and he couldn't lose her. If she knew everything that he did...he didn't know how she would react.

_See they don't give a fuck about you_

_like I do_

"But nothing, Luce." he said, "Come back to bed." He took her hands and pulled her from the windowsill.

_Just _

_stay with me_

_safe and_

_ignorant_

He tugged her into bed with him and pulled the covers up around them both. She snuggled into his chest, causing him to tighten his arms around her. He felt as the pace of the breathing soon fell into the same rhythm and he contentedly breathed in the lavender scent of her hair.

_Go_

_back to sleep_

_go_

_back to sleep_

"But, baby?" Lucy said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"You're never going to let me near that part of you are you?"

At that, Hoot let go of her and sat back up in bed. He gazed down at Lucy, where she remained laying by his side...where she had always been.

_Lay your head down child_

_I won't let the boogeyman come_

_count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums_

"Lucy, try to understand..."

"Hoot, baby, I don't care." she said.

She was looking at him now with the look that told him that she would be there with him, come what may. He loved it when she looked at him like that. But this wasn't him forgetting to buy her flowers on their anniversary or wanting to have poker night with guys, this was him going out and killing people. A lot of people.

"Darlin', I love the way you're looking at me right now." he said.

Lucy's cheeks turned red as she smiled and looked away, embarrassed.

_Pay no mind to the ravel pay no mind to the ravel_

_head down go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums_

"And it's because of that look, that I can't tell you about what I do when I'm not here." he said.

Lucy looked back up at him. "I understand that you've killed people."

"Luce." Hoot said, "can't you just love who I am and not worry about what I do? Can't you just keep smiling at me like that?"

Lucy smiled warmly at him and nodded. She opened her arms to him, and Hoot sank down into her embrace. And as Lucy wrapped her arms around him, all the tension and frustration of everything that had gone on that day just faded away.

_I'll be the one to protect you from_

_your enemies and all your demons_

_I'll be the one to protect you from_

_a will to survive and a voice of reason_

_I'll be the one to protect you from_

_your enemies and your choices love_

_one in the same I must isolate you_

_isolate and save you from yourself_

He wouldn't let any part of his tainted life corrupt Lucy. He would save her from all that was bad in the world, even if it meant he had to keep her shut off from parts of it. He never wanted her to feel like he was keeping secrets from her, but he needed her to know that parts of himself he did keep away from her, were all for her protection.

_Swinging to the rhythm of the new world order_

He closed his eyes and welcomed a night of pleasant sleep next to the only woman for him.

_Count the bodies like sheep to the rhythm of the war drums_

But, on the night stand beside him, his pager began to shriek violently at him. He reached over and looked at the number and recognized it immediately.

_The boogeymen are coming_

_the boogeymen are coming_

He would have be leaving soon for Somalia. They had been talking about it all month and now it was apparently time. Lucy stirred beside him and her eyes fluttered open once again.

"What is it?" she asked, but the only thought that went through Hoot's head in response to her question was 'not yet.'

_Keep your head down go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums_

"Nothing." Hoot said, and kissed her forehead. "Nothing. Let's go back to sleep."

_Stay with me_

He needed her to be peaceful and unworried for tonight. He would tell her he was leaving in the morning, but tonight...

_Safe and_

_ignorant_

She could sleep with no thoughts of fear or concern. It was just them. Happy, healthy, in love.

_Just_

_stay with me_

He didn't want to leave her. He wasn't ready to leave her. He didn't feel like he had had enough time, yet, not that he ever would. He wanted the night to stretch out and last forever. But, he knew it wouldn't.

_I'll do whatever to protect you from the other ones_

He knew that morning would come.

_The evil ones_

And he would have to leave.

_Go back to sleep_

But not tonight.


	2. Lucy

**Disclaimer: **The lyrics to this song are from "Harbor" by Vienna Teng, whom I cannot use enough, from the album "Warm Strangers."

_We're here where the daylight_

_begins_

_the fog on the streetlight_

_slowly thins_

Lucy Hals sat, staring at her lover from across the breakfast table. She silently watched him eating the eggs she had cooked for him and admired every curve of his face. He was so handsome. How had she ever ended up with someone so handsome?

She knew he was leaving. Last night, his beeper had gone off and the look in his eyes had told her everything that she needed to know. He was going somewhere dangerous to do things that he would never tell her about. She wasn't a fool. She knew what he did. But he needed to keep her separate from that world and she needed to be the one to give him what he needed. All the other stuff didn't matter.

_Water on water's_

_the way_

_the safety of shoreline_

_fading away_

She had watched Hoot all morning. The way he had tried to play it off as just another day and gone about his morning routine as he always had, but Lucy had known. It was written in his every movement, his very eyes, and the way he looked at her, like it could be the last time he looked at her.

He wouldn't be able to tell her where he was going, she was used to that. He wouldn't be able to tell her when he was coming back, she was used to that. But she could never get used to not knowing whether he was going to come back or not. But she accepted this life because it gave her him. She knew that this was what he needed to do. Hoot had a deeper love for his country than anybody she had ever known.

_Sail your sea_

_meet your storm_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

"When do you leave?" she asked plainly.

Hoot looked up from his plate. His face showed no surprise at her question. He knew she wasn't stupid. "I get briefed this morning when I get to base. I'll know departure time by tonight."

That meant that by the end of the week, he would be gone again. And, Lucy would once again be waiting for him to return, just like she always had and she always would. It should have been harder for her to wait for him, but it wasn't. When you know someone is the one for you, it's not hard to wait for them. She practically flew from her seat and into his arms.

_The light in me_

_will guide you home_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

"You come home to me, you hear." she said as she held on as tightly as she could to his neck and felt his own arms fasten around her waist. "Don't be brave. I know all your crap about leave no man behind and all that bullshit, and it's all well and good, but YOU come back to me!"

Hoot stroked her hair and kissed her neck. She felt his warm breath against her throat as he said, "I'll come back, baby. You don't even need to worry about that. I could never leave you."

It was about that point when the tears began to run down her cheeks.

_Fear is the brightest_

_of signs_

_the shape of the boundary_

_you leave behind_

Every time it was there, rumbling around in the pit of her gut like a parasite. The fear that he might not come back this time. He had always come back, but she had always been afraid.

"Hey," she heard Hoot coo into her ear. He pushed her back a little so she was sitting on his lap, looking down at him. "None of this," he said, brushing her tears away with his thumbs, "all right. I'll be home before you know it."

Lucy looked into his eyes as he spoke. His beautiful, soulful eyes. She didn't want him to go. She didn't want him to go somewhere he could be killed. She wanted him to stay here with her, where he was safe.

_So sing all your questions_

_to sleep_

_the answers are out there_

_in the drowning deep_

She clung to him with every bit of strength she had in her. She wanted to take in everything. His scent, his touch, his face, his breath, those little curls in his hair...she wanted it all. She wanted to drink it all in and save it for the coming months that she would be without him.

_Sail your sea_

_meet your storm_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

"Do I really have to let you go?" she asked.

Hoot chuckled deeply and warmly and pulled her from him again so he could cup her face in his hands. "You never have to let me go, darlin'."

She couldn't help but smile at that. He always knew what to say to make her smile. Sometimes it pissed her off, because she couldn't stay mad at him for anything.

_The light in me_

_will guide you home_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

"Please don't worry, Luce." he said, "You're the only thing that keeps me sane."

Lucy kissed him on the nose, "You're sane?"

Hoot smiled, big and bright, "Well, halfway sane anyways."

_You've got a journey_

_to make_

_there's your horizon_

_to chase_

Lucy stood up from his lap and began clearing the table. It was almost time for him to head to the base. He would go off and have his adventures, but he would always come back to her. She didn't need to know where he went or what he did, as long as she knew that he would always come back to her.

_So go far beyond_

_where we stand_

_no matter the distance_

_I'm holding your hand_

"I'll miss you." she said without looking at him.

"You know it's going to be fine, right?"

"No. But, I'll be right here when you get home."

"Hey, Luce."

She turned to face him, "What?"

"You are my home."

_Sail your sea_

_meet you storm_

_all I want _

_is to be your harbor_

That was all that she needed to hear in order to feel better. Hoot walked over to her and, placing his hands at the nape of her neck, he kissed her. He kissed her as though it were the last time he would ever get to kiss her and she responded with everything she had in her.

_The light in me_

_will guide you home_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

Yes. She would be there waiting for him to come back to her. He had given her his word that he would come back, and Hoot always kept his word.

_Sail your sea_

_meet your storm_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

Lucy watched Hoot get into his jeep and back out of the drive, his favorite Okley sunglasses securely in place. How he made those ugly glasses look so damn good, she'll never know. She had to let him go and play the hero that she knew he was. He had a need to defend his country and come whenever they called him, just as he had many times before. But, every time...

_The light in me_

_will guide you home_

_all I want_

_is to be your harbor_

He had always come back to her, his home.

The End


End file.
